Pet Ultrasound
Our doctors and vet nurses at Tequesta Vet Clinic all use our high-quality ultrasound.
Benefits of an Ultrasound
Internal images allow us to see what is going on within your pet’s body without invasive surgery.
An ultrasound is a powerful diagnostic tool that creates a real-time image of an animal’s body. This composite reveals important information about internal processes including the circulatory, skeletal and gastrointestinal systems, helping identify disease, blockages, and internal injury.
How does it work?
An ultrasound works by broadcasting high-frequency sound waves that reflect off your pet’s internal structures. A small probe held against the skin collects the returning signals to create an image of the internal body, most commonly used to examine abdominal organs like the stomach, kidneys, liver, spleen, and gallbladder. An echocardiogram, or ultrasound of the heart, provides precise information about heart valves, blood flow, chamber size, and contractions. This tool is essential when assessing overall heart health and treating cardiovascular disease. Because an ultrasound doesn’t require radiation, it is also used to monitor pregnancies and fetal health in breeding pets.
When used in conjunction with other diagnostics tools like radiographs (x-rays), ultrasonography can detect a broad range of abnormalities including cardiovascular disease, skeletal fractures, some forms of cancer, soft tissue damage, foreign bodies, and organ disease. Completely painless and non-invasive, ultrasounds rank among the most precise diagnostic tools in the veterinary industry.
Applications for ultrasound include:
- Ultrasound provides a much more detailed way to look at fluid-filled and soft tissue organs in the body.
- Ultrasound is very important in accurately diagnosing heart problems (echocardiogram), assessing lymph nodes, internal organs, adrenal glands, bladder, prostate, and intestines.
- With ultrasound, we can see inside these organs, perform ultrasound-guided aspirates and biopsies, often avoiding invasive exploratory surgery. Knowing how to interpret ultrasound findings is critical.
Ultrasound, a peek inside the body
Our doctors and vet nurses at Tequesta Vet Clinic all use our high-quality ultrasound. In April of 2019, Dr. Joi upgraded her “nice” ultrasound to what could be described as the “race car” of ultrasound units. We are clearly not internists nor radiologists, but we can often identify diseases in our practice without having to send you to a specialist. Luckily, we’ve now teamed up with Dr Jen Ayoub, a board certified veterinary internal medicine specialist who will come into our clinic for consults and ultrasound.
Our Expertise
All the doctors at our practice also know their way around an ultrasound, but don’t have the same level of an internist nor boarded radiologist. We typically charge $123.50 for Global FAST scans in our clinic by Dr. Joi and Dr. Kate. Our in-house ultrasound scans may direct us to bring in Dr Ayoub or send you to a specialty hospital for a ultrasound. Oftentimes, we may just make the diagnosis ourselves. We use our ultrasound all day long for simple things such as collecting urine to more advanced looks such as during triage of an ill pet.
Ultrasound Pricing
We charge $679 for Dr. Ayoub’s ultrasound exams (but could be more if there is a needle biopsy and cytology) and $154 for her consult. We pass along her fee to you, but more often than not we will send you to one of the internists at Veterinary Specialty Hospital as they can often see you within the week. Dr Ayoub will come to TVC for a consult but doesn’t chat with the client directly.
Again, we use our ultrasound all day long and wonder how we ever practiced without it.
